"And a woman, if she shall have an issue of her blood for many days..." [Vayikrah 15.25]

"Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak applied the passage (Song of Songs 5.11): "...black as the raven." to the portions of the Torah [in this way]: Even topics that seem ugly and black for public discussion, such as the laws of plagues, Niddah or the post-partum mother, the Almighty has said they are pleasing to Him, as it is said (Malachi 3.4): "And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Him." ANd know that this is the case... [Vayikrah Rabbah 19.4]

From time to time controversy breaks out concerning vulgarity and immorality in the media, entertainment, and the so-called 'arts.' It is usual at such times for self-professed intellectuals to emerge with arguments for freedom of speech and expression. Oddly enough, these arguments are frequently based o Biblical sources, especially the Son of Songs, to illustrate how even there, liberal forms of expression of an intimate and personal nature appear.

Why, they claim, should the print media, the cinema, or the theatre be subject to more stringent constraints and censorship than the Bible?

The portions of Tazriya and Metzora deal with difficult human conditions, such as leprosy on one's body, clothing, or home, and various sexually transmitted diseases - topics one might see as unfit for the Scriptural texts. Yet precisely these topics, that are "black as the raven," are dealt with by the Torah extensively and to the most minute detail. And this, because they are not distasteful before the Almighty, but rather "...the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Him."

Note that the root of the words for "raven" and "pleasing", (arev), the root of potential good and potential evil is the same. What we do with nature and how it is treated by us, is what distinguishes good from evil. If treated in a vulgar and socially demoralizing manner, nature becomes "black as the raven." But if treated respectfully and with care, "...the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Him"

Never should attempts to justify immorality and promiscuity hide behind misguided interpretations of the Torah. Those who distort the Torah and defend deviance in our society by removing the Torah from its context, blacken it. And e must answer them. The Torah of Israel is holy, and the offerings of those who labor in it faithfully, are pleasing to the Almighty.